FHA Bounces Back Just as the winter snows melt, and spring begins to bloom, there are also signs of renewal for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The White House released its fiscal 2015 budget proposal last week, and it indicates that the FHA should not need additional taxpayer funding in the coming year. This excellent news couldn’t have come at a better time. This announcement puts the FHA on the right path not only towards achieving compliance, but being positioned to cover any future losses without seeking additional funds from the federal government. When private lenders fled the market after the 2008 financial crash, the FHA was left carrying an oversized burden. I saw this up close in my own company in Dayton, Ohio. During the depths of the Great Recession, FHA-backed loans were more than 60 percent of my affiliated mortgage company’s business. Even today, FHA-backed loans are nearly 30 percent of my book. There is no question that my business would not have survived without the FHA. In fact, the housing recovery we are now experiencing would not have happened if the FHA had not been there when times were tough. Understandably, FHA paid a price for this commitment. It suffered financial losses and needed additional funding to cover an accounting shortfall in its emergency reserve account. For the first time in the agency’s 80-year history, the FHA drew $1.7 billion from the Treasury Department last year. To ensure the agency does not need additional funds, the FHA made significant changes. The White House budget announcement indicates these reforms are producing positive results. NAR continues to be a strong supporter of the FHA. We are pleased that Congress allowed the FHA to put its house in order without enacting hasty reforms that would have stalled the real estate market’s fragile recovery. Of course, we aren’t out of the woods, yet. This is why we support needed housing finance reforms, especially the Senate’s Johnson-Crapo “FHA Solvency Act of 2013.” This bill is a strong step forward in strengthening the FHA. But, for now, everyone across the political spectrum should welcome the news that the FHA is on the path to financial solvency. It demonstrates that the FHA’s mission of providing low cost loans to qualified borrowers—particularly low- and middle-income buyers – does not have to come at the expense of America’s taxpayers.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 15:56:03 +0000
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